Help support independent media!

GOP congressman: Sexual assault shouldn’t keep you off Supreme Court

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said that if a Supreme Court nominee like Brett Kavanaugh was guilty of the sexual assault he is accused of, it should not disqualify him from a seat on the highest federal court in the U.S.

Cramer’s comments reflect the dominant drive among his fellow Republicans — to seat Kavanaugh no matter what he’s done in the past.

Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault by two of his former classmates, Deborah Ramirez and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.

In a television interview, Cramer argued that, even if the allegations were decisively proven, Kavanaugh should still be seated and given the power to affect millions of lives for generations.

Referencing the charges from Ford, Cramer said, “It certainly means that he did something really bad 36 years ago, but does it disqualify him from the Supreme Court?”

The comments echoed remarks made by Cramer’s fellow Republican, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who said Kavanaugh is “a good man” even if he tried to rape a girl.

Previously, Cramer said the assault accusations were “absurd,” and he baselessly argued that Ford and Kavanaugh were “teenagers who evidently were drunk” and that “nothing evidently happened in it all.”

In her accusation, Ford said she had one beer at the party, but described Kavanaugh as “stumbling drunk.”

Cramer is in the process of challenging Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (R-ND) for North Dakota’s Senate seat. Should he be elected, Cramer would be able to vote on Supreme Court nominations — and vote to seat known sexual assailants to the highest court.

In response to Cramer’s comments, Sen. Heitkamp noted, “What Congressman Kevin Cramer said is offensive to women, an affront to survivors and doesn’t align with North Dakota values.”

Cramer’s statement, rather than standing out for its lax attitude toward assault and sex crimes, instead reflects the dominant message coming from Republicans: Anyone will do to seat a conservative on court, no matter their moral bankruptcy or criminal background.